Electromechanical warp stop-motion.



G. J. DUSTIN.

ELEGTROMBGHANICAL WARP S TOP MOTION.

APPLICATION FILE!) DEG. 23,1911.

1,112,365. Patented Sept. 29, 1914. Y

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V J. DUSTIN. ELEGTROMEGHANICAL WARP STOP MOTION.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 23, 1911.

Patented Sept. 29,1914

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l lrw /l M @ww/ ZM W @M "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GORDON J. DUSTIN, 0F PLYMOUTH, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO JOHN F. DUSTIN,

OF LAWRENCE, MASSACHUSETTS.

ELECTBOMECHANICAL WARP STOP-MOTION.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 29, 1914.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GORDON J. Dos'rm, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Plymouth, county of Plymouth, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Electromechanical Warp Stop-Motions, of which the following description, in connection with the accom anying drawing, is a specification, like 0 aracters on the drawing representing like parts.

'lhis'invention has for its object the production of a novel and improved warp sto motion particularly adapted for looms, t e operation of the loom stopping mechanism being effected by or through .electro-mechanical means including a controlling-circuit and metallic detectors which also serve as heddles.

In accordance with my invention the harness-frame is provided with two terminals, normally insulated from each other and cooperating withlmetallic heddles, one of the terminals being provided with an insulating sheath whereby it can engage effectively with a heddle only when the latter is abnormally positioned by reason of a faulty war thread and both terminals are included in the controlling-circuit. Such inclusion of the terminals in said circuit is efl'ected at predetermined intervals, and herein when the harness-frame is at or near its lowest position, hence it is only at such time that the circuit can be completedthrough the terminals on the frame by an abnormally positioned detector heddle. I- have also rovided means for effectively insulating a larncss-frame from one or more adjacent frames, so that short-circuitin'g is revented, thereby obviating the operation of ping mechanism unnecessarily. J

The various novel features of my invention will be fully described in the subjoined specification and particularly pointed out in the following claims.

Figure 1 is a transverse sectional view of a sufficient portion of a loom with one practical embodiment of my invention-applied thereto, the parts of the apparatus bein shown just as the shed is about to be change with the lay at back center; Fig. 2 is a front elevation and partial section,centrally broken out, of a harness-frame embodyin certain features of the present invention, t 1e 0 posite loom sides being partly shown, an the the stopharness-frame is so positioned that its terminals are in the controlling-circuit; Fig. 3 is an enlarged transverse section on the line 3-3, Fig. 2, looking toward the left, but show ng the heddle in abnormal or dropped pgsltion'; Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view to referred to, showing the controlling-circuit and the harness-frame as about to descend, the heddle being released by a broken Warp-thread.

Referring to Fig. 1, the lay 1, lay-sword 2, crank shaft 3 connected by pitman 4 with the lay, the shipper 5 pivoted at 6 on the loom frame 7, and connected by rod 8 with the usual belt-shifter or fork (not shown) and the brake mechanism only partly shown, comprising in part the treadle-lever 9, link 10 connected therewith, the brake-setting spring 11, and the catch 12 engaging the dog 13 at the upper end of the link 10, may be and are all of well known construction and form no novel part of my present invention. o, too, the knock-off arm 14 for the shipper, and the hunter 15. carried by said arm, to release the dog 13 from the catch 12 when the shipper is released, are of well known construction and operate in a manner familiar to those skilled in the art.

For convenience in illustration I have shown in Fig. 1 a 4-set harness motion, the harness-frames as a whole being indicated at I, II, III and IV, the first and third being down and the second and fourth up, and as the means for reciprocating the frames in the shedding operation forms no part of my invention I have omitted it altogether.

It will be understood that any desired or suitable means may be employed for reciprocating the harness-frames, and that a number of frames greater or less than that illus-. trated may be used without departing from my invention.

In accordance with my invention each harness-frame comprises top and bottom bars 16, 17 of wood or other non-conducting material, rigidly connected by metal side-bars 18, 19,;and a metallic terminal 20 is fixedly mounted in the frame in any suitable ,manner, insulated at 21 from the side-bar 18 and in electrical engagement with side-bar 19, as shown in Fig. 2. Hooks 22 connect said terminal at intervals with the bottom-bar 17, to stiffen and assist in properly su porting the. terminal, which is a flat meta plate other, that each one of the terminals is that when said terminals are included in the 'ing a duplex, fixed contact member for the set on edge, see Fig. 3, and herein it is located below the warp w, as will be' apparent. The harness-frameis provided with a beddle-su' porting bar above the warp, and herein such bar is shown as comprisin a second terminal 23 set into an insulating s eath, the latter being conveniently made as a troughlike sheet-metal member 24: filled with insulating material 25, into which the terminal 23 is set on edge, so that the upper edge of such terminal projects above the top of the sheath. llhe sheathed terminal is carried by the side bars of the frame, the terminal eing electrically connected with side-bar 18, Figs. 1 and 4, and it and the sheath are insulated at 26 from the other side-bar 19, hooks 27 embracing the sheath at intervals and connecting it withthe top bar 16 of the frame. From the foregoing it will be seen that the side-bars 18-, 19-are insulated from each always in electrical connection with one of the side-bars, and that the sheath of the terminal 23 insulates the' latter from side contact with a heddle 28.

The heddles are preferably thin, flat strips of sheet metal, each having a warp-eye 29, and elongated slots 30, 31, Fig. 3, for the reception of the supporting-bar and the terminal 20. Manifestly the latter will always be in contact with a heddle, irrespective of the position thereof, but the sheathed terminal 23 can only contact at its upper edge with a heddle at the upper end of the slot 30, and-the heddles serve also as stop-motion controlling detectors, as will be apparent hereinafter. When a harness-frame rises: the supporting-bar lifts the heddles, but the terminals 20, 23 are not then in circuit, as will be explained, and on the descent of the frame intact warp-threadshold up the heddles, so that the terminal 23 cannot contact therewith. When a heddle is released by failure or undue slackness of its warpthread, however, it will drop and rest on the projecing part-of terminal 23, and thereby electrical connection will be established between said terminal and the terminal 20, so

controlling-circuit the latter will be rendered active to set in operation the stopping mechanism.

On the loom side 7, Fig. 2, but insulated therefrom, I mount a metal bracket having inwardly extended arms 32 which support two parallel, fore and aft rods 33, constitutcontrolling-circuit, a similar duplex contact member being provided by the rods 34 on the arms 35 of a metal bracket secured to the other loom side 7. As will be explained noted that the two pairs of rods are opposite each other, and set in such a distance Trom the loom sides, Fig. 2, that they are directly beneath the vertical planes of movement of the side bars of the several harnessframes.

. Each frame has attached to each of its metal side bars a depending, movable contact member, comprising a rigid metal rod 36, extended through and fixedly secured to a plug 37 of insulating material, the rod 36 having secured to or forming a part of it a spirally coiled portion 38 terminatin at its lower end in a transverse, elongated oot 39, movable at right angles to the corresponding duplex contact member and toward and from the latter.

As the two movable contact members on a harness-frame are alike I have described only one, and have given the same reference characters to each. Thus while each harness-frame has attached to it a pair of contact members, one at each side, all of the movable contact members at one side of the loom are arranged to engage intermittingly the same duplex fixed contact member at the same side of the loom. When, therefore, a harness-frame is at or near its lowest position its two contact feet 39 will engage the two fixed contact members 33, 34 to thereby place the terminals 23, 20 of that harnessframe in the controllingrcircuit.

* In Fig. 1 I have applied the reference characters to the details of only one of the harness-frames, to wit, the front one, as all of the other frames of the set are just like it in construction.

, Each of the plugs 37 has fixedly attached to it a depending tubular sheath 40 of suit able insulating material, which incloses the spiral 38 and slides between the two parallel rods which constitute a duplex, fixed contact member, said rods guiding the sheath as the harness-frame is reciprocated. The sheath is longitudinall slotted at opposite sides, at the upper portion thereof, at 41, and the contact foot 39 projects laterally through .each slot beyond the sheath, in order to engage thefixed contact member when the barness-frame descends, as shown in Fig. 2.

: Referring to Fig. 1 it will be seen that the several sheaths 40 of the harness-frames, at one side, slide up and down past each other, and efiectuallv prevent any accidental engagement of t e contact members 39 on one frame with the contact members of adjacent frames, so that short-circuiting is thereby prevented.

The sheaths are of such length that when a harness-frame is up, as frame II, Fig. 1, the up er end of its sheath will be interposed tween the lower ends of the sidebars of the adjacent frames I and III, preventing engagement of such side-bars, as

these two contact members 33, 34: are alwag: in the controlling-circuit; and it will might happen by slight swaying of adjacent frames. When a frame descends the contact feet 39 engage the fixed contact members 33;

from the other pole of such battery to a plate 47 mounted on but insulated from the loom side 7, see Fig. 1. This plate 47 carries a contact arm 48 forming one member of a switch, the other member being shown as a cam 49 'fast on the crank-shaft 3, in the present embodiment of my invention.

In Fig. 4 the cam is shown as connected by a line 50 with the other fixed contact member 34, and this might be a wire, but in actual practice this part of the controllingcircuit is the crank-shaft 3, the loom side "l" and the bracket arms 35, and on the diagram, Fig. 4, I have indicated this by the words Loom Frame Referring to Fig. 4 it will be seen that the terminals 23, 20 of a harness-frame are included in the controlling-circuit only when the contact feet 39 enga e the fixed contacts 33, 34, and the controlling-circuit is independently opened by the-switch 48, 49 for one-half of every revolution of the crankshaft 3. The cam 49 is so set or timed that the controlling-circuit will be open while the lay is moving from back center to front center, at which time the shed is changed, and the switch closes said circuit while the lay moves back from front to back center. Consequently there cannot be any short circuit established accidentally during the change of shed. Supposing now that a harnessframe is down when the switch closes the controlling-circuit, and one of its heddles has dropped, by failure or undue slackness of its warp-thread, as indicated in Fig. 4, then such heddle will complete the circuit through the terminal 20 and the exposed upper edge of the terminal 23, and the electromagnet 43 will be energized. Said electromagnet is mounted on and insulated from a bracket 51 attached to the loom side 7 and insulated therefrom, the bracket carrying an insulated armature lever 52 fulcrumedat 53, the front end of said lever being connected by a link 54, Fi al, with a do 55 having an upturned shoulder 56. This og is pivoted at 57 on a transmitter, shown as a bar 58 ex-, tended fore andaft adjacent one of the lay swords 2 and at its rear end slidably su ported in a bearing 59 on the loom side, t ew-front end of the transmitter being jointed to an arm 60 fulcrumed at 61 and at .-upper end bearin against the knockaofi'lever l4. Normally t e weight of the dog 55"andili'nk 54 lift the armature away from the 'pols i'hff the magnet, as shown in Fig.1, a stop 62 outthe transmitter then cooperating with the dog to limit the descent of the latter.

The lay-sword 2 has attached to it a bunter 63 so positioned that under normal conditions itwill move back and forth clear of the shoulder 56 on the dog, but when the controlling-circuit is closed by or through an abnormally positioned heddle, as previously described, the energized magnet 43 will attract the armature, and the link 54 is raised to elevate the dog and place the shoulder 56 thereof in the path of the bunter 63 on the backward stroke of the lay. When said bunter and shoulder engage the dog 55 is moved rearward bodily, moving with 35 it the transmitter 58, and through the arm I 60 and the knock-off lever 14 the shipper 5 is released, thereby bringing about the operation of the stopping mechanism for the loom. As the lay reaches back center the switch 48, 49 will open the controlling-circuit, thus preventin an unnecessary waste of electric energy w len the loom is brought to rest.

It will be noted that when the lay begins to move forward from back center the controlling-circuit is opened at the switch, so that there is no objection to the terminal 23 of a rising harness-frame engaging the heddles at the upper ends ofthe slots 30 therein, as shown in Fi 3, even before the contact feet 39 leave t e fixed contact members, for by such engagement the heddles are lifted as the frame rises to carry the warpthreads into the 11 per plane of the shed. Furthermore, as t e stopping mechanism can only be set in operation on the backward stroke of the lay, as herein shown, a possible accidental closure of the controling-circuit at any other time in the cycle would not have any effect on the stopping mechanism. \Vhen the shipper is moved to running position the knock-off lever 14 and arm 60 will operate to restore the transmitter 58 and dog 55 to normal position shown in Fi 1, and so long as the magnet is not energized there will be no cooperation between the dog and the actuating bunter therefor.

The yielding connection between the contact feet 39 and the rods 36 attached to the side-bars of a harness-frame 'rovide for an engagement between the fixe and movable cont-act members of suflicient duration to enable the pro or actuation of the sto ping mechanism to efiected when a hedd c has dropped into abnormal position in a harnessframe which is down.

Various changes or modifications in details of construction and arrangement may i be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention as set forth in the claims hereunto annexed. V 7

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a warp stop-motion for looms, the combination of a controlling-circuit for setting in operation the stopping mechanism, a harness-frame having a heddle-supporting bar fixed therein above the warp and comprising an insulating sheath and a terminal set therein and projecting above the sheath, a second terminal fixed in the harness-frame below the warp, means to include the terminals in the controlling-circuit only when the harness-frame is down, said means including transverse contact feet depending below the frame and connected yieldingly with the two terminals, and a series of metallic heddles slotted to receive loosely the supporting bar and the lower terminal and always in contact with the latter, breakage of a warp-thread causing the heddle thereof to complete the controlling-circuit by contact of such heddle simultaneously with the upper and lower terminals when the harness-frame is down.

2. In a warp stop-motion for looms, the combination of a controlling-circuit for setting in operation the stopping mechanism, shedding mechanism, including a plurality of vertically reciprocating harness-frames each having-fixedly mounted in it upper and lower terminals insulated from each other, an insulating sheath for the up or terminal, the latter projectin series of metallic he dies in each frame and adapted to electrically connect the terminals thereof when a war -threa d fails,.means. t o include the termina s of a harness-frame in thc controlling-circuit when thev frame is at or. nearits lowest position, such meansioomprising a pair of fixed, duplex cpntactmemlens in the controlling-circuit to cooperate with contact members on all of the harness: frames, contact members carried by and connected yieldingly with each harness-frame to coiiperate intermittingly with the said fixed contact members and include theterminals of a frame in the controlling-circuit, and a pair of members of insnlatin material depending from each frame ad acent the movable contact members thereof, each of said insulating members sliding between the parts of a duplex contact member and acting to prevent engagement of the contact members of adjacent harness-frames.

3. In, a war) stop-motion for looms, the combination 0 a controlling-circuit for setting in operation the stopping mechanism, duplex fixed contact members in-suc'h circuit, at opposite sidesof the loom, a harness frame having metallic side-bars insulated above t e sheath, a

aliases from each other, up er and lower terminals fixedly mounted in t e frame and each electrically connected with a side-bar, metallic heddles adapted to en age simultaneously with said terminals w en a warp-thread breaks and the side-bars are in the controlling-circuit, a tubular, longitudinally slotted sheath of insulating material connected with each sidebar and sliding between the parts of each duplex contact member, and a metallic spring within each sheath and connected with the corresponding side-bar, the foot of the spring being elongated and extended throu h the slot of the sheath to form a movagle contact adapted to engage the fixed contact member when the harnessframe is down, the sheaths preventing shortcircuiting through adjacent harness-frames. 4. In a war stop-motion for looms, the combination 0 a controlling-circuit for setting in operation the stopping mechanism, said circuit having fixed contact members at opposite sides of the loom, a harnessframe having two terminals fixed therein and insulated from each other, means to electrically connect the terminals when the frame is-down and a warp-thread fails or slackens unduly, movable contact members on the frame, each consisting of a sprin coil connected with one of the terminals an having a foot to engage a fixed contact member when the harness-frame is down, to

thereby include the terminals in the controlling circuit, and a tubular sheath of insulating material inclosing each spring coil and having a lateral aperture through which the foot of the coil extends.

5. In a warp stop-motion for looms, the combination of a controlling-circuit for setting in operation the stopping mechanism, said circuit having fixed contact members at opposite sides of the 100m, a harness-frame having two terminals fixed therein and insulated from each other, means to electrically connect the terminals when the frame is down and a warp-thread fails or slackens unduly, yielding contact members on the frame, eachelectrically connected with one of the terminals, each contact member having a laterally elongated foot to engage a. fixed contact member when the frame is down and thereby include the terminals in the controllingcn'cuit, and a tubular insu-' later for each contact member, inclosing the main ortion thereof and laterally a ertured or the projection therethrough o the elongated foot.

6. In a war stop-motion for looms, the combination 0 a controlling-circuit for setting in operation the stopping mechanism fixed contact members in so." circuit and located at opposite sides of the loom, each member comprising two fore and aft, parallel ,metal rods, a plurality of vertically reciprocating harnessframes each having two terminals fixed therein and insulated from each other, means to electrically connect the terminals of a frame when the latter is down and a warp-thread fails or unduly slackens, yielding contact members on each sheath for each of the yielding contact members, the feet of such members projecting laterally beyond the sheaths, the series of sheaths at one side of the loom sliding between and being guided by the pair of rods which comprise the adjacent fixed contact member.

7. In a warp stop-motion for looms, the. combination of a controlling-circuit for setting-in operation the stopping mechanism, a

harness-frame having upper and lower terminals fixed therein and insulated from each other, the upper terminal having its sides and lower edge inclosed in an insulating sheath, metallic heddles slotted to receive loosely said terminals, a heddle released by failure of its warp-thread electrically connecting the terminals when the frame is down, yielding contact members carried b the frame and connected each with a terminal, fixed contact members in the control ling-circuit and adapted to be engaged by the yielding contact members upon each de-- scent of the frame, each fixed contact member consisting of two parallel fore and aft metal rods below the harness-frames, and means to insulate the yielding contact members from like members on an adjacent harness-frame, said means comprising a pair of downward extensions of insulating material depending from each frame and sliding between the rods constituting said fixed contact members.

8. In a warp stop-motion for looms, the combination of a controlling-circuit for setting in operation the stopping mechanism, said circuit having fixed contact members at opposite sides of'the loom and extended fore and aft beneath the harness-frame, a harness-frame having two terminals fixed therein and insulated from each other, means to electrically connect theterminals when the,

frame is down and a warp-thread fails or slackens unduly, yielding contact members carried by the frame and each electrically connected with a terminal, said contact members engaging the fixed contact members at each descent of the frame, to at such time include the terminals in the controlling-circuit, means rigidly connected with the harness-frame and in sliding engagement with the fixed contact members, to insulate the contact members of a frame from the like members on an ad'acent frame, and means operating indepen ent of the movement of the harness-frame to open the controllingcircuit during a fixed period of the movement of the harness-frame, said means including a fixed member and a rotating member cooperating intermittingly therewith.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses, M

GORDON J. DUSTIN. Witnesses:

GEORGE C. PETERSON, RAOUL E. LANGDOIB. 

